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Showing posts with label Tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tech. Show all posts

Monday, June 4, 2018

June 04, 2018

Seven Steps To Steal And Safe Your Friend's WhatsApp Video Or Picture Status (Photos)

Few months ago what's app was upgraded and it introduced a new method of uploading whatsapp statuses which can either be videos or picture but sadly, the status can't be saved.

Fortunately, we have finally found solutions to this problem. Here are the best ways you can safe those statuses to directly to your phone without having to download them:

Step 1

Start your what's app application: This do not really need much explanation because I believe we all know how to start the app and if you don't have the whatsapp app on your phone, you can download it from your phone's Google play store or you can also get it from your friends through the use of xender or flashare


Step 2

Click on the status you want to save and watch it: This is also understandable enough. After starting your whatsapp, you then click on the middle icon that has the word "status" on it

Step 3

Open your file manager or explorer: The file manager consists of all applications installed on your phone internally nd externally. You will find the file manager on your menu list.

Step 4

Search for your whatsapp file and then click on it:

Once you open your file manager, keep scrolling until you find the what's app file and click on it to open the contents

Step 5

Click on the Icon at the top by the right hand side and click on "Open or show hidden files"

Step 6

Click on media:

You will find your what's app media folder in the drop down list after you click on the what's app file

Step 7

Click on statues
You will only see statues after you show the hidden file on your phone ,after seeing the statues you click on it then you will see all what's status of the day then you move the the picture or video you want save away from the whatsapp.

Now you have seen the seven simple steps you can steal and safe your Friend's whatsapp status ,you can also share the video or pictures  like that .NOW it IS YOUR TURN TO SHARE THIS POST

Sunday, February 25, 2018

February 25, 2018

WOW!! Get 10x Bonus Credit and 1GB Data on 9Mobile Heavyweight Awoof

Nigerian Telecom company, 9Mobile has introduced a new exciting promo called “heavyweight awoof”. Personally, I think this promo was created to allure customers to 9Mobile. The promo works for new customers that buy new SIM and existing customers alike. However, the new customers are at a better advantage since this promo offers more bonuses compared to existing subscribers.
For new customers that buy a new SIM, the 9Mobile Heavyweight Awoof gives you 10 times value of your either a purchased airtime or data. With the bonus benefited, you can call any network of your choice or browse the internet with 1GB free data.
What this means is when you recharge N100, you get N1000, recharge N200 and you get N2000 and so forth.
Existing subscribers on the other hand get 7 times the value of their first daily recharge which can be used to call any network in Nigeria.
Recall other networks have introduced similar offers to entice subscribers to their network. An example is the recently introduced Airtel 10x bonus on recharge promo.
9Mobile also tweeted about it on their Twitter handle as they iterated they actually meant all what Heavyweight Awoof is all about. See their tweet below.
“YES WE ACTUALLY MEAN #HEAVYWEIGHT AWOOF!
ALL THE THINGS YOU GET AS A NEW CUSTOMER ON THE 9MOBILE NETWORK!
GET A #9MOBILE SIM TODAY AND TESTIFY!
#9MOBILECARES #4IN1
In addition, I will like to recommend the Super Bonus Offer existing subscribers since the above facts have shown the Heavyweight Awoof is more beneficial to new 9Mobile subscribers .
Features of the 9Mobile Heavyweight Awoof
New customers
New customers get 10 times the value of recharge daily for voice calls and data to all networks for the first 30 days.
Existing Subscribers
Existing subscribers get a unique 7 times value of their first recharge daily for voice calls only to all networks for 30 days.
HOW TO ENJOY 9MOBILE HEAVYWEIGHT AWOOF
Simply dial *819*1# to start flexing this promo. Please note that calls are charged at 80kobo per second.
For new subscribers, get a new SIM, register it, the proceed to activate the Awoof by dialing *819*1#
Now buy airtime and enjoy the massive 10x value.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

February 21, 2018

Five Reasons Why Your Phone Slows Down Few Month After You Bought it

Today almost everyone has an Android smartphone. These devices come with different specifications and in different sizes to suit each person’s taste.
However, after six months of heavy usage, you’ll notice a reduction in efficiency and performance .
There are many potential reasons that make smartphones to slow down after several months. So, in this post, I’m going to outline 5 common reasons which makes your phone to slow down after few months of usage.

1) OS Upgrades
Normally, Google releases updates annually and the latest version is Oreo ( I’m guessing the next version would be android pudding �).
Remember, when you first bought your phone, it might be running Android Marshmallow before you get an Upgrade notification. These upgrades are released with a certain set of hardware specs in mind.

This year, smartphone specifications have drastically improved. Many features have been added in the Android OS. However, these features are made with newer hardware specs in mind. So, there is a chance that if you are running the newer version of any operating system in an outdated phone then this can slow down your phone in no-time.

However, these upgrades are hard to ignore as it is for a Nigerian snake to avoid swallowing money.��
Minor updates are okay, but if you are planning to jump from Android Nougat to Oreo then be ready to face the difficulties.

2. App Updates
Facebook initially took just 35MB the first time I downloaded it , now with constant updates it’s taking almost 300MB now .The so-called ‘lightweight’ apps that you install can transform to ‘heavyweight’ over the time. Developers are constantly pushing updates, every new update brings new features, which ends up using lots of RAM and CPU.

The best thing you can do is to once you feel the app is bloated, replace it with another light weight app.

3 Apps Running On The Background
Most times people tend to neglect background apps. Believe me or not, you have almost 80% more apps installed on your devices than when you first got it. Just go to your phone’s settings and have a brief look at all of your downloaded apps.
This problem arises when some apps keep running in the background without launching it. There are many apps like email services, messaging apps which are always active. These apps use CPU and RAM, which impacts negatively on your phone’s performance
.
So, make sure to disable or uninstall the apps which consume lots of RAM and CPU, switch to a static wallpaper and say goodbye to live wallpapers.

#4 Memory Degradation
Smartphones run on a flash memory, the most common type of flash memory is known as NAND. NAND memory gets slower as it fills up. In summary, NAND Memory usually requiresa certain amount of vacant blocks to operate efficiently.

Secondly, NAND memory degrades after some time of usage. NAND memory has three types- SLC, MLC, TLC each one of them has write cycle boundaries per memory cell. Once the limit is reached, the cells wear out and this affects the performance.

The best thing to do here is to stick with 75% of your device’s total storage capacity. For example, if you are having 16GB internal storage, don’t cross the 10GB threshold.

#5 Full Storage
Whenever your storage system is full in your Android phone just clear unnecessary files to prevent your phone from slowing down

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

January 16, 2018

How to opt out of Facebook's new facial recognition feature



Facial recognition-based features are nothing new to Facebook. The company has used facial recognition for some time now to suggest friends to tag in photos. On Tuesday, however, the company announced it's expanding its facial recognition features to help combat fake accounts using another person's photos, and to alert users whenever a photo or video is posted with him or her in it.

Admittedly, there's a part of me that likes the idea of getting an alert whenever my photo is posted on Facebook. Knowing that if someone is trying to impersonate me (yeah, right!) or someone captured a moment without me realizing is appealing.

But the idea of Facebook scanning every photo and using facial recognition is sure to upset some people. Thankfully, Facebook is giving us the option to opt out of the feature altogether.

Facebook is in the process of adding a dedicated button to each account. This will used to indicate whether or not you want Facebook to use facial recognition on your account. It's a simple Yes or No option.

The problem is, not everyone has this option quite yet. The good news is that if you don't, Facebook will use your current account setting for tag suggestions.


Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
On a phone, open the Facebook app and tap on the overflow button (three line icon). Then go to Settings > Account Settings > Timeline and Tagging > Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded? Next, select No One. Whenever your account gets the official facial recognition tool, it will default to No.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
From the website, click the down arrow in the top-right corner. Then click Settings > Timeline and Tagging > Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded? Finally, select No One.


January 16, 2018

Google Home or Chromecast might be crashing your Wi-Fi



If your Wi-Fi at home has been acting up lately, your Google Home ($129.00 at Walmart) speaker or Chromecast ($35.00 at Walmart) might be the culprit. On Jan. 13, Android Police originally reported several instances where a Google Home Max ($399.00 at Walmart) speaker was knocking TP-Link Archer C7 routers offline.

Since then, other devices have been affected by the bug, including other Google Home speakers and Chromecast dongles, as well as additional TP-Link router models and routers from Asus, Linksys, Netgear and Synology. According to some Reddit comments, some Google Wifi ($114.00 at Amazon.com) users are also affected.

TP-Link explains that the issue is caused by the Cast feature which allows your phone, Google Home speakers and Chromecast devices to communicate. This feature "sends an MDNS multicast discovery packets to discover and keep a live connection with Google products such as Google Home," says TP-Link. Normally, the packets are sent out in 20-second intervals. Following a recent firmware update, for some unexplained reason, when exiting a sleep state, the devices would sometimes send an excessive amount of the packets (exceeding 100,000 packets, in some cases) to the router, causing it to crash.

TP-Link says the longer the device sleeps, the "larger this packet burst will be."

So what can you do to keep your Google Home or Chromecast from crashing your wireless network?

A fix by Google has not yet been released, though the company told 9to5Google it's "working quickly to share a solution." CNET reached out for comment but Google has not responded.

For TP-Link users, the manufacturer has released official patches for the bug to most of the hardware versions affected and beta firmware for the Archer C1200.

For anyone else affected, there is no official solution yet. The best workaround until either Google or your router manufacturers issue a firmware patch is to unplug your Google devices when they're not in use.

If your Wi-Fi at home has been acting up lately, your Google Home ($129.00 at Walmart) speaker or Chromecast ($35.00 at Walmart) might be the culprit. On Jan. 13, Android Police originally reported several instances where a Google Home Max ($399.00 at Walmart) speaker was knocking TP-Link Archer C7 routers offline.

Since then, other devices have been affected by the bug, including other Google Home speakers and Chromecast dongles, as well as additional TP-Link router models and routers from Asus, Linksys, Netgear and Synology. According to some Reddit comments, some Google Wifi ($114.00 at Amazon.com) users are also affected.

TP-Link explains that the issue is caused by the Cast feature which allows your phone, Google Home speakers and Chromecast devices to communicate. This feature "sends an MDNS multicast discovery packets to discover and keep a live connection with Google products such as Google Home," says TP-Link. Normally, the packets are sent out in 20-second intervals. Following a recent firmware update, for some unexplained reason, when exiting a sleep state, the devices would sometimes send an excessive amount of the packets (exceeding 100,000 packets, in some cases) to the router, causing it to crash.

TP-Link says the longer the device sleeps, the "larger this packet burst will be."

So what can you do to keep your Google Home or Chromecast from crashing your wireless network?

A fix by Google has not yet been released, though the company told 9to5Google it's "working quickly to share a solution." CNET reached out for comment but Google has not responded.

For TP-Link users, the manufacturer has released official patches for the bug to most of the hardware versions affected and beta firmware for the Archer C1200.

For anyone else affected, there is no official solution yet. The best workaround until either Google or your router manufacturers issue a firmware patch is to unplug your Google devices when they're not in use.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

November 15, 2017

Why Car Insurance Quotes Comparison Save Cash


Why Car Insurance Quotes Comparison Save Cash

Since we all know why we should compare prices when we are out shopping, it becomes important that we save money as well as spending it. So insurance comparison quotes can just do that and save one hundreds or even thousands of dollars when well undertaken.

Even though those people with a lot of cash do not care how they spend cash or even look for affordable products and services. Looking for a car insurance quote comparison is like looking for best deals on the Internet for products such as appliances, car, and jewelry. We want high quality products and goods at affordable prices and if it is an insurance cover then it should be a good cover for an affordable price.

Since many companies are offering the same products in insurance industry it is complicated to get a good and worth insurance policy for you and your car. To make matters even worse is the fact that car insurance policies cannot be touched and viewed like other goods can be so it becomes typically a daunting task to choose a cover that will answer to all your needs and financial position.
Car insurance companies also offer varied rates for different clients depending on an individual’s state and quotation. Some companies offer discounts to drivers or individual with clean driving history. The age of the insured and type of car or even location of the person seeking for insurance also determines the rate of insurance policy. These factors make car-insurance comparison more purposeful than biased.


Car insurance quote comparison also equips one with information on how much it will cost one to buy the most affordable insurance policy that is suitable for the given situation. Since the Internet has so many options for comparison you are sure to get a good deal unless you willingly decide not to mind about the price of the policies. So car insurance quote comparison will help you get an affordable insurance for your car.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

November 07, 2017

How to make a mini & portable electric car using battery

There are many ways you can design or make your own cars, when talking about designing we are talking about the way you can illustrate your imagination of how you want it to look like.

Who design or made a cars?.

Don't be wrong calling them technicians. They are just classified under it because they deal all about technology.

Below here you are going to watch a video of how to make your potable mini cars at home.

But before that check out the necessary items you will need, you are going to see it before the video too.
Items;
- A bottle cover of any colour
- Two small and tiny rod
- A Battery (6.0u|)
And many more check video below:

Saturday, November 4, 2017

November 04, 2017

Whatsapp Outage: Facebook Investigates Second Breakdown In 3 Months



India is home to over 200 million WhatsApp users. The Facebook-owned messaging platform has more than one billion users globally.

Users turned to platforms like Facebook and Twitter to vent out their frustration for not being able to use the service. A tweet read: "2 mins of silence for those who uninstalled and then installed WhatsApp again #WhatsAppDown".

A spokeswoman for Facebook in Singapore told news agency Reuters that the company was still investigating the matter.

The usually reliable app had earlier broken down on August 31 with users in Europe, Mexico and Brazil reporting issues. The outage lasted for a few hours in some parts of the world.

According to downdetector.com, an independent website monitoring outages of popular social media services,46 per cent of the complaints by Whatsapp users were due to being unable to connect, while 38 per cent complained that they were unable to send or receive messages.
November 04, 2017

Truecaller Hits 6.2m Nigerian Mobile Subscribers – Official



The Chief Commercial Officer, Truecaller, Ted Nelson, said on Friday that the company out of the 150million phone subscribers in Nigeria, 6.2million had subscribed to Truecaller.

Nelson disclosed this on the side-line of the launch of its Developer programme in Lagos.

According to him, in Africa, we have 50 million registered users and this is about 20 per cent of total global Truecaller users.

He said: “Africa is growing and it is important for us, to establish our presence to be felt in Africa, there is need for us to understand the market and to enable us grow faster as a brand.

“This is currently carried out by studying most likely Nigeria and South Africa for us to gain our subscribers base.’’

Nelson said that presently, we have good position both in Google play store and Apple play store as Truecaller in Nigeria and this was amongst the top five download in the past two-years.

He said the market was growing and that the company would leverage on smartphone penetration increase to become stronger.

He said this  was to engage technology developers was the objective of the company in kicking off the African tour, which started in Nigeria in partnership with CcHUB, Africa’s leading social innovation centre.

Nelson said: “To launch our Truecaller Developers Programme, which is becoming the major skill in the India environment, is also why we are here in Lagos, Nigeria.

“We want the same in Africa and so we want African developers to access the tools that we can offer when it comes to making communication more safe and beneficial.

“The Developer Programme, ‘Truecaller SDK’ is a mobile identity product for digital start-ups and app developers.

“Truecaller SDK enables third party app developers, digital businesses and start-ups to verify end users quickly and frictionless by utilising their Truecaller profile with a one-touch and password free experience.’’

He said that the Truecaller app, allows people to see who was calling and filter out spam calls and SMS.
November 04, 2017

Apple to be first $1 trillion company in the US



Apple's valuation briefly topped $900 billion for the first time Friday.

Shares of the tech giant were boosted by an impressive quarterly earnings report released a day earlier as well as the release of the highly anticipated new flagship iPhone X.

By midday trading, Apple's market capitalization had fallen to $892 billion, but analysts were excited by the prospect it could soon be the first American company to be worth more than $1 trillion.

The company's value would have to increase about 11 percent to cross that threshold.

A Chinese energy company briefly topped $1 trillion in 2007.

Apple posted revenue of $52.6 billion, beating analyst forecasts of $50.7 billion in the fourth quarter, when it sold 46.7 million iPhones -- 3 percent more compared to the same period in 2016 and 600,000 more smartphones than analysts predicted.

Apple expects sales of the iPhone X, its most expensive version, to be strong through the holiday season.

As of Friday, shipment dates in the U.S. were five to six weeks in the future. Around the world, customers lined up early Friday outside Apple Stores to be among the first to own the new smartphone.

"The bottom line is that Apple is dominating high-end smartphones and associated services," analyst firm Macquarie said in a note Friday.

"Our bullish view of [iPhone] X is driven by the fact it is the most innovative iPhone in years, and that the more limited innovation of iPhone 7 still led to 215 million phone sales."

Shares of Apple grew more than 3 percent to an all-time high of $174.10 Friday morning. Several hours later, the stock was trading at $172.80.

For much of 2017, investors were concerned interest in new iPhones had waned and growth of the company had stalled – a narrative that Apple's most recent earnings call proved false.

Friday, November 3, 2017

November 03, 2017

How To Know If Your Android Device Has A Virus and How To Avoid It


A smartphone with a virus can cause complex difficulties, from the embarrassing display of unwanted ads to piracy of data like passwords and number of current accounts in Banks. So it is good to be aware and not to tolerate the consequences later.

Notice Your Browser: If, when you open the browser and decide to search, you are automatically redirected to another site, this is a clear evidence that your smartphone has a virus. Even if you attempt, you can’t replace the default homepage of your browser. This is how hackers earn money because they enhance the analytics reports of certain pages.

Pop Ups: If your smartphone has a virus then you are bound to notice pop-up ads. If pop-ups are advertised while you are browsing the internet with questionable ads for games, casinos, and adult content, your smartphone may be affected with adware.

Excessive data Usage: Be aware of your smartphone’s data traffic. Even when it is idle the data loss is high, this may be the clear indication that a virus is using its internet to send or receive data from the device.

Excessive Heat: When you watch a video or play a game on your smartphone, it is common for it to warm up. But, the machine cools quickly after the end of the game. However, some virus that needs too much of the processor can also heat the smartphone.

Slow Performance: Minor crashes can be affected by memory problems. However, if your smartphone runs slow to initiate applications, turn on or take photos overnight, it is likely that it have a virus.

Short Battery Life: If you just noticed a sudden drop down in your battery life then there is a clear sign your cell phone may be infected with virus or malware.

How To Avoid Virus?

Prevention is always better than cure! The first one is to keep a conventional antivirus installed on the device. Avoid installing third-party store apps. Always look for apps in reliable stores like the Play Store and the App Store.

For Android devices, there is a liberty to install non-Google Play apps. However, these applications may be contaminated and open a gate for the virus to install itself on the device.

Do not open dubious links sent through emails or other platforms. Also, avoid untrusted sites.

That’s all folks! These are the things that can protect your smartphone.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

October 31, 2017

How To Change Your SIM Number Using Android


Here in this tutorial, we will be discussing another awesome tutorial that will let you change the SIM number using your Android device. The ICCID number is a unique serial number that represents the SIM that a user has subscribed.

In Short, telecom companies can track the Sim card using the ICCID number. This ICCID number is also useful to track the phone if it was lost. With the help of network operator, you can trace the mobile number linked to the ICCID.

So, lets’ know how to change the SIM number using an Android device.

1) You must have a rooted Android device in order to change your SIM number because we need to use the Xposed Installer. Therefore, root your device and then install the app SIMEditor.


2) Open Xposed Installer and then enable the SIMEditor module from the Modules screen.

3) Finally, launch the app and you will see the option where you need to enter the number that you want to set on your SIM card.


Reboot your Android device and your SIM number will be changed. Once changed, you can uninstall the SIMEditor from your Android smartphone.

Note: Perform the above tutorial at your own risk. This tutorial is for informational purpose. Techcaption and authors of the tutorials posted are not responsible for any loss.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

October 29, 2017

How To Watch YouTube Videos Without Internet


How To Watch YouTube Videos Without Internet: Whenever we talk about online video sites, YouTube comes first. YouTube is now world’s best video streaming site which is used by 70% of users worldwide. YouTube video streaming service is available on both desktop, Android and iOS version.



However, as we know the internet is something that doesn’t come for free. Users always try to save some precious data while restricting their video usage on online sites.

To check those factors, Google recently launched an awesome Android app which aims to battle with slow network connections. We are talking about YouTube Go. The project is actually a part of company’s ‘Next Billion’ program through which it aims to connect India’s next billion people to the internet.

The title of the post says that ‘How to watch YouTube videos without internet’, you might feel how’s this possible. Well, with YouTube Go app you can not only watch videos but can also save it for offline viewing.

YouTube Go is basically a separate app which is much lighter compared to the original app. This app consumes less RAM and data. The app is meant for saving the internet data, therefore, it also runs on slow internet connections.



The usage of the app is very simple, just download and install the app from Google Play Store and search for the video that you want to download. You can also see its file size before downloading, along with how much space you have left on your smartphone.



Once you have downloaded the video, you can watch it anytime without using the internet connection. Not only these, the app also lets users send videos to others near them over Bluetooth. So, users can also receive or send YouTube videos without the internet connection.

This is how you can use the YouTube Go app to watch youtube videos without internet connection. Hope it helped you share it as much as you can.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

October 26, 2017

How To Turn Your Android Into Full Functional Computer

 

Read How To Turn Your Android Into Full Functional Computer

If we talk about Android it is one of the best mobile operating systems that is used by a majority of users. With our Android we can perform lots of stuff like we can use it as a remote control, we can use it as a webcam and more.

However, have you ever wondered to turn your Android smartphone into a fully functional computer by attaching the TV/Monitor and keyboard/mouse?
If you have an Android device, you can do this easily. As we know, there are lots of apps available in Google Play store that make things easier to perform basic tasks.

Step On How To Turn Your Android Into Full Functional Computer

There is an app which is known as Andromium OS which can transform your Android into a full functional computer. Let’s know how to use Andromium OS on Android devices.

Step 1) Download and Install Andromium OS (Senito) on your Android smartphone and launch the app.

Step 2) At the Startup, it will ask you to grant few permissions, make sure you grant all the needed permissions by tapping on the “Ok” button.


Step 3) Upon the notification access, make sure to give Androimium OS access to the Notification.


The final step is to pull down the notification shutter and then tap on the “Andromium OS Beta”. You will see a full functional computer screen.


You can attach your Android device to Monitor/TV and keyboard/mouse to enjoy the fully functional computer. Hope you like the article, share it as much as possible.



Thursday, October 12, 2017

October 12, 2017

Africa’s pay-TV subscriptions hit 23.7m



The total number of pay-TV subscribers in Africa has reached approximately 23.7 million.This is according to a report by market analyst firm Dataxis, which notes this represents quarter-on-quarter growth of 2%, and year-on-year growth of 18%, compared to the second quarter of 2016.
Among the subscribers, 70% receive television through satellite, said Dataxis. Direct-to-home is confirmed as the main mode of TV reception across the African continent, followed by digital terrestrial television (DTT) access with 24% of the market share. DTT is still being implemented and developed in several important African countries and Dataxis predicts this will allow DTT operators to gain new customers in the years to come.

Dataxis points out African pay-TV remains highly concentrated, with Naspers dominating both in terms of subscribers and revenues.However, it notes the arrival of Kwesé, a subsidiary of Econet Media, is expected to increase competition in Africa.

“The satellite operator MultiChoice, owned by Naspers, has been the key player in the Anglophone Africa pay-TV market since its launch. However, the new entrant of the year, Econet Media/Kwesé, along with in particular further deployments by StarTimes, will change this configuration,” says Pascal Orhan, chief analyst at Dataxis.

According to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan, the pay-TV, video-on-demand (VOD) and Internet Protocol television services market is growing rapidly as significant Internet penetration and smartphone adoption in Africa alter the manner in which consumers view content.

It points out that MultiChoice DStv and GOtv, and StarTimes are among the leading pan-African pay-TV operators, while IROKOtv, ShowMax and Netflix lead the VOD space. Despite DStv’s dominance, SA has the most developed pay-TV market, whereas triple-play services are more developed in Kenya.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

October 11, 2017

How to Use Portrait Lighting on iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X






The iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X are two of Apple’s flagship smartphones that were unveiled last month. While one of them has received a radical redesign featuring an all-new bezel-less display, the other one still sticks to a three years old design that the company has been using in their predecessors, starting with the iPhone 6 Plus. Nevertheless, both of these cameras pack improved dual-camera setups that let you take some stunning photos with shallow depth of field, using Portrait mode. In fact, Apple has introduced an all-new AI-based software trick to take the Portrait mode to a whole new level. It’s called “Portrait Lighting”, and it was made possible by making use of sophisticated algorithms to calculate how facial features interact with light. Interested in trying this out on your new iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X? Without further ado, let’s take a look at how to use Portrait Lighting on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X:

Use Portrait Lighting on iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X

Note: Although the Portrait Lighting in a software trick, the feature is only made available for the new iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. Hence, even if you’re an iPhone 7 Plus user, you won’t be able to take advantage of Portrait Lighting. Having said that, the feature is still in beta, and it will only improve with further software updates.

The Portrait Lighting mode basically provides the user with four new AI-based lighting effects, namely Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light and Stage Light Mono, in addition to the default Portrait photo which is now called “Natural Light”. Simply follow the steps below to make use of these new effects in a jiffy:


Open up the stock Camera app on your new iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X and swipe left to select the Portrait Mode. All you need to do is simply click a picture with a shallow depth of field, dubbed as the “bokeh effect”. With a simple swipe to the left at the bottom of the frame, you can switch between various effects that Portrait Lighting has to offer, including the default Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light and Stage Light Mono.

Well, apart from directly taking pictures, you can also edit and change the lighting effect for a Portrait mode photo that you’ve previously taken on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. In order to do this, head over to the Photos app and select the portrait photo that you want to edit. Now, simply tap on “Edit”. By default, all the Portrait photos have the “Natural Light” effect. In order to change the effect, you can simply swipe left nearby the tiny icons located at the bottom of the picture.

Swipe continuously to switch and try out all the four lighting effects that this new “Portrait Lighting” feature has to offer.

The Portrait Lighting Effects


Now that you’ve learned how to use Portrait Lighting, let’s talk about how all these lighting effects exactly work. The “Studio Light” effect adds an even soft spread of light over the subject to replicate the lighting you might get in a studio. “Contour Light” manages to add shadows and highlights to contour the face of the subject, which looks pretty neat in my opinion. The next two modes called “Stage Light” and “Stage Light Mono” are quite similar as both of these effects literally darkens the background according to contours of your face and body. However, these two modes are quite tricky to work with and you’ll have to make multiple attempts before you manage to get the perfect shot for these effects.

Ready to Take Advantage of Portrait Lighting?

Although Portrait Lighting is a software-based trick that’s still in beta stage, Apple has managed to check most of the important boxes that’s required to get the feature right in their smartphones. As of now, it’s pretty hard to get the perfect shot that works well with “Stage Light” and “Stage light Mono” lighting effects, and most of the time, they do feel like a gimmick. That being said, if you do manage to get the perfect shot, the results are quite impressive to say the least. Nevertheless, Apple could certainly improve and fine-tune Portrait Lighting with future software updates, so this should not be a major concern. So, are you guys ready to try out Portrait Lighting on your new iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X? Do let us know how much you guys enjoyed the feature, by dropping your valuable opinions in the comments section down below.


Tuesday, October 10, 2017

October 10, 2017

Top 5 Free WiFi Hotspot Software For Windows


There are many different ways to turn your PC into a virtual WiFi router, so in case you’re looking for ways to do that, let’s take a comprehensive look at all of them and let you decide which one works best for you. While there are a plethora of third-party software that will convert your computer into a WiFi router, you can also create an on-demand WiFi hotspot on your PC natively either by running a few lines of code through the command prompt or, via the Windows GUI by just clicking through a few options. Today, we’ll take a look at all these methods, so let’s start off by checking out the 7 best WiFi Hotspot software for Windows available right now:

Best Third-Party WiFi Hotspot Software

1. Connectify Hotspot


Connectify Hotspot is, by far, the best-known and most popular software to turn your PC into a WiFi hotspot. The program is available in a free avatar that would be good enough for many, but for a more comprehensive feature set, you will need to opt for one of the two paid versions: Pro or Max. 

The main difefrence between the free and the paid versions is that the free version allows users to share internet from Ethernet and WiFi networks only, while the paid versions also bring the ability to share cellular data. Real-time network usage monitoring is another feature that’s common to all versions of the software, and so is ad-blocking for connected clients. 

What you don’t get in the free version, however, is the ability to choose a custom SSID, firewall controls and a wired router mode, all of which are available in the ‘Pro’ version that costs $34.98 per year. 

The company also offers a ‘Max’ version that comes with more bells and whistles, like a bridging mode, WiFi repeater mode and custom DHCP controls, all of which can be yours’ for a cool $59.98.

Platform: Windows
Download: (Free, Paid versions start at $34.98)

2. mHotspot


Like Connectify, mHotspot is also a Windows program that transforms your PC into a virtual WiFi router, but unlike its more well-known counterpart, it is a completely free software without any premium versions, which means you get to use all its features for free. mHotspot allows users to share LAN, Ethernet, cellular and WiFi connections with multiple devices across platforms, including, laptops, smartphones, tablets, PDAs and other PCs. It is one of the most feature-rich free software in its category, and is officially available on Windows 7, 8 and 10.

You can connect up to 10 devices to a hotspot created by this software that can also act as a repeater to extend the WiFi range. In terms of security, mHotspot secures your WiFi hotspot with WPA2 PSK password security.

Platform: Windows
Download: (Free)

3. HostedNetworkStarter


HostedNetworkStarter is yet another software that you can use to turn your PC into a WiFi hotspot. It is a great little utility that works similarly to the two programs mentioned earlier on this list, insofar as it creates a WiFi hotspot with the help of the wireless network adapter of your PC and, allows any device with WiFi support to access the network and the Internet connection available on your computer. It supports Windows 7 thru 10 (both 32 and 64-bit versions), but doesn’t work with Windows Vista or XP because of the lack of support for the WiFi Hosted Network feature in those versions of Windows. One of the coolest things about the program is that you don’t need to install the program on your computer in order to run it. You can just download the zip file, unzip it, and run the executable file right off the bat. Power users can also use command-line parameters to enhance the functionality of the software.

Platform: Windows
Download: (Free)

4. MaryFi


MaryFi is yet another free software that can turn your Windows PC into a virtual router. It’s way more feature-filled than Connectify’s free version, given how it supports all kinds of internet connections, including, but not limited to, Ethernet, WiFi and cellular. 

As is the case with the other programs on the list, a wide variety of devices can be hooked up to connections created by MaryFi, so whether you’re looking to get WiFi connectivity for your phone, tablet, music player, gaming console or other laptops and desktops, MaryFi’s got you covered. The program uses password-protected WPA2 Encryption for privacy and security. One thing to remember here is that software is only said to compatible with Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 officially, and not with Windows 10.

Platform: Windows
Downlaod: (Free)

5. Virtual Router Plus


Virtual Router Plus is a free and open source WiFi hotspot program that’s based on Chris Pietschmann’s Virtual Router project that’s hosted on Codeplex for now, but as with just about all other open source projects on the site, will be migrating to GitHub by the end of this year. The program is written in C# and, is officially available only on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012, although, during the time we spend with the software, it did seem to work alright on a Windows 10 laptop, effortlessly creating a WiFi access point for my Android smartphone. 

Like HostedNetworkStarter, this one also doesn’t need an installation to work on your computer, so you can just unzip the compressed file and run the .exe file to get started. The program doesn’t have any ads and nor does it track users’ web activity. It uses the WPA2 encryption for privacy and security.

Platform: Windows
Downlaod: (Free)

October 10, 2017

Top 3 Google Pixel 2 Alternatives You Can Buy

Announced recently by Google, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are two of the best smartphones money can buy right now. Not only do they offer the latest hardware from top-tier vendors, the bloat-free Android Oreo and the promise of three years of quick updates are two of the notable features that make these devices stand out from their counterparts for all the right reasons.

However, as is the case with any other smartphone, the devices are far from perfect. Neither of them come with the 3.5mm headphone jack, nor do they support wireless charging at a time when even Apple has introduced the feature in its latest iPhone lineup after resisting it for so many years.

Another popular feature missing from the Pixel 2 is a dual-camera setup, something that’s starting to become increasingly prevent even in mid-rangers these days. Even if you can look past all these issues, one point that many would-be buyers seem to be complaining against is the rather plain-vanilla looks of the Pixel 2.

While the Pixel 2 XL has adopted the bezel-less trend, the smaller device seemingly didn’t get the memo. So if the giant bezels, the lack of wireless charging, the absence of OIS and the missing 3.5mm AUX port are all deal-breakers for you, here are the 7 best Pixel 2 alternatives you should consider:

Top Pixel 2 Alternatives You can consider

1. Samsung Galaxy S8



Samsung’s Galaxy ‘S’ line represents the most well-known and best-selling Android smartphone range in the world, and the Galaxy S8 is no exception. It is a well-reviewed, highly-popular smartphone that comes with not just cutting-edge hardware, but also some really cool software features that make it one of the most desirable smartphones right now. 

It’s powered by Samsung’s own in-house Exynos 8895 or Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 (depending on the market) and offers 4GB of RAM alongside 64GB of built-in storage. 

Unlike the Pixel 2, it also offers expandable storage, thanks to the presence of a microSD card slot that doubles up as a secondary SIM slot, although, that feature is also region-specific.

Sure, the Galaxy S8 also gives the rear dual-cam setup a miss just like the Pixel 2, opting instead to go with a single 12MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and 26mm effective focal length, but it is one of the best smartphone cameras for low-light photography you can buy right now. 

The Galaxy S8 was also the first device that brought the whole ‘bezel-less’ trend mainstream with its ‘Infinity Display’ thanks to the vibrant 5.8″ Super AMOLED screen with an elongated 18.5:9 aspect ratio. 

Add to that innovative features like the DeX dock, iris scanning, Bixby voice-assistant, the virtual Home button with haptic feedback, not to mention the 3.5mm audio port, and you’ll know exactly why the Galaxy S8 is one of the best Pixel 2 alternatives you can buy right now.

Buy From Amazon: ($624.99)

2. Apple iPhone 8


iPhones may be anathema to many Android aficionados, but we’re platform-agnostic here at Beebom, and while I’m a hardcore Android-guy myself, enough of my colleagues swear by their MacBooks and iPhones for me not to include at least one Apple device in this list. 

The iPhone 8 represents the latest from the Cupertino giant, and while it isn’t necessarily the greatest that the company has to offer, it is still a pretty decent handset in its own right. What’s even more remarkable is how strikingly similar it is to the Google Pixel 2 in so many different ways. 

Both offer cutting-edge hardware and the latest software, but you won’t know that by looking at them. Neither device look much different from their respective predecessors, which makes their designs seem pretty bland in the 2017 scheme of things.

Another reason why the iPhone 8 is a great alternative to the Pixel 2 is because of its size. 

At just 5″, the display panel on the Pixel 2 is positively tiny compared to most 2017 flagships. The iPhone 8, meanwhile, has an even smaller 4.7″ display, which means if you’re not quite enamored with the trend of the ever-growing smartphone display real estate, smaller devices like the iPhone 8 will be the perfect Pixel 2 alternative for you, if you can live with all the arbitrary restrictions Apple imposes on its users. 

One thing to note here is that, like the Pixel 2 and unlike the Galaxy S8, the iPhone 8 doesn’t have the 3.5mm audio port, but nor does many of the other flagship smartphones this year, so that’s a problem most users will likely have to start getting used to in the years to come.

Buy From Amazon: ($699)

3. LG. G6


The LG G6 is a great smartphone that was launched earlier this year by the South Korean consumer electronics company that is often overshadowed by its larger and more well-known compatriot, Samsung.

The device, admittedly, doesn’t have the same cutting-edge hardware that the Pixel 2 brings to the table, but it still performs every task admirably, which is understandable when you consider that the chip powering the device, the Snapdragon 821, is actually newer and faster than Snapdragon 820 that powered most of the top flagships from last year, including the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. 

Another noteworthy feature in the LG G6 is its dual 13MP camera setup at the back. While the primary sensor comes with an f/1.8 lens, PDAF and 3-axis OIS, the secondary one features a wide-angle 125-degree fixed-focus lens with an f/2.4 aperture.

Keeping with the ‘bezel-less’ trend, the LG G6 features a 5.7-inch IPS LCD QHD+ display panel with a 2:1 (18:9) aspect ratio. The phone packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and either 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of native storage, but unlike the Pixel 2, it has a microSD slot that allows its storage to be expanded by up to 2TB. The phone is also dust-proof and water-proof, as is evident from its IP68 certification. What’s really cool is that in spite of being a premium device, the G6 is actually significantly cheaper than most of the other options on this list, so buying this is unlikely to burn a hole in your pocket.

Buy From Amazon: ($509)